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By Chiedu Uche Okoye
In today›s world, football is the most popular sporting activity. From Brazil to Ghana, and from Italy to Australia, people who are from different races play the game of football. And, globally, millions of football fans follow football events and competitions, religiously. Back in Nigeria, football has been our only unifying factor as we bury our ethnic and religious differences to cheer our national teams whenever they are playing against other countries during international football competitions.
In the past, when sporting competitions were integrated into secondary schools› curricula, football competitions were organized for secondary schools in different states in the country, periodically. And many football stars who played for our national teams were discovered during such secondary schools› football competitions.
For example, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, who won the Nation›s Cup for Nigeria as both a player and a coach, excelled in the round leather game while attending St. Finbarr›s College, Lagos. Another footballer, Henry Nwosu, who was a member of the Green Eagles team that won the 1980 Nations Cup, played secondary school football, too. And Arthur Ebunam, who once played for Enugu Rangers International, was a member of the Christ the King College (CKC), Onitsha, football team that won the world secondary school football championship in Dublin, Ireland.
A great number of our secondary schools› football prodigies matured to play for our national football teams and for renowned club sides in Nigeria and beyond. At that time, football clubs that reigned in Nigeria were Stationery Stores of Lagos, IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Enugu Rangers International FC, Flash Flamingoes of Benin, Sharks of Port Harcourt, Calabar Rovers, Spartans of Owerri, Mighty Jets of Jos, Racca Rovers of Kano, and others. And such talented footballers as Patrick Okala, Yisa Sofoluwe, Adokiye Amasiemeka, Jude Agada, Mike Emenalo, Friday Ekpo, and others dominated our football scene, then.
Again, our national football teams imprinted our country›s name in the collective psyche of millions of people by winning international football competitions. In 1985, against all expectations, the Nduka Ugbade-led Golden Eaglets of Nigeria won the maiden edition of the Kodak Under-17 male football world cup. And at the Saudi ‹89 Under-21 football world cup, the Flying Eagles of Nigeria recorded a historical and memorable comeback in one of their matches and went ahead to win the silver cup in the competition.
More so, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, our Under-23 football team, the Dream Team, not only dazzled football fans, globally, with their breathtaking football displays, but they, also, won the Olympic soccer gold. Before then, Emmanuel Amuneke, a great winger, helped the Super Eagles to win the 1994 Nations Cup with his powerful strikes.
But today, our national football teams are struggling to win matches at continental and global football fiestas. The teams have not realized their full potential. The star-studded Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 senior football world cups. Yet, the Super Eagles parade an array of football stars that play top flight football in Europe, Asia, and America. Are Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Maduka Okoye, Victor Osimhen, and Chukwueze not great footballers?
Again, recently, our female national football team, the Super Falcons, which was tipped to win the 2026 WAFCON, fumbled and wobbled at the competition when the ovation was loudest. The less-fancied Cameroonian national team eliminated the Super Falcons from the WAFCON competition. Millions of Nigerians have not come to terms with the Super Falcons› ouster from the 2026 WAFCON competition.
Now that the Lionesses of Cameroun have eliminated our senior female national team from the 2026 WAFCON, the Super Falcons will walk a tightrope to qualify for the forthcoming female football world cup. The team will take on South Africa in a play-off. But the Super Falcons, who are struggling to qualify for the forthcoming senior female football world cup, have a surfeit of quality players who play professional football in Europe and America. Are Michelle Alozie, Asisat Oshoala, Esther Okonkwo, and Chiamaka Nnadozie not great female footballers, who can hold their own during football matches?
But the fact is that Nigeria›s dwindling football fortunes are caused by lacklustre, corrupt, and myopic football leadership, and not by the players that don our national teams› jerseys. So those who supervised our national teams that performed abysmally at international football fiestas should be barred from seeking re-election into football offices.
What should be done is to elect new football administrators, who know their onions about football administration. Our football bodies need a crop of new leaders who will bring fresh ideas into our country›s football administration. It is they that will revamp football administration in Nigeria, and return our national teams to their winning ways.
Our placing of square pegs in round holes, which is caused by the existence of the culture of corruption and political patronage in Nigeria, is at the root of our national teams› poor performances in international competitions. We should do away with it if we want to regain our lost football glories.
It is high time seasoned and patriotic football administrators took over our football bodies, to ignite our football renaissance.
• Okoye, a poet and civil servant, writes from Anambra State.
